


Camp

by ThatGoblin



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Rhett McLaughlin, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, MTF Link Neal, Pining Rhett McLaughlin, Soft Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal, Trans Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24249079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatGoblin/pseuds/ThatGoblin
Summary: Rhett remembers his best friend Link from camp and wants to reconnect.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Camp

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sohox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sohox/gifts).



> For sohox cause I like giving things to people and they tell me to do the thing when I'm on the fence.

Rhett met Link when they were 5 years old at the summer camp for Junior Muskrats. It was just the run of the mill boys summer camp that taught the campers how to tie knots, row in canoes, and make fires. They actually didn’t live that far from each other, almost four hours in the same state, but it was far enough that they couldn’t get together that often other than camp. 

They had been learning how to make crafts of sorts when they first interacted. The smaller boy had been near tears when he was told he couldn’t use pink string to make his craft. Other boys had been teasing him while the camp counselor told him to not be such a girl and use a blue string instead. Rhett was a more quiet boy, very aware of his gangly appearance that would earn snickers and jokes as well, so he felt bad for Link. Moving over next to him, he sat down and shared his paint. 

A quick mix of red and white paint gave Link the pink he wanted. Since that moment, they were inseparable at camp. They exchanged addresses and began to write to each other as well. There were secret codes they made, things hidden in their letters so their parents wouldn’t know what they were doing. It was mostly planning to make a place to run away in the woods like in the books they read. Nothing really that bad. Through out the school year when they were away from each other and camp, they sent these letters every chance they got. Plans of making castles in the woods with bright colors and moats to keep everyone they didn't want there out. There were plans of adventures into different countries to see the world and live out their fantasies of being big shots at anything and everything

Every year they would meet up at camp and they’d sneak around to have their own imaginary world in the woods while other campers were busy with swimming or throwing hatchets. Just like they always had fun, Link was always a target for bullying, but with Rhett by his side he didn’t feel as alone. They’d get made fun of for being so close. It had to mean they were more than friends, after all boys didn’t hold hands or hug or cry or really be nice to one another unless they liked dick. It didn’t faze Rhett one bit. Not even when Link offered to stop being his friend so Rhett didn’t get made fun of. He didn’t budge. Rhett stayed next to Link through it all.

They swore on their last day of camp for the last year they’d go that they’d keep in touch and would exchange phone numbers and keep in touch even in college. They swore a blood oath on it even. In the woods, in the dark where they knelt next to the big boulder they always met up at night to go exploring, they pricked their fingers and smeared their droplets of blood on each other's fingers. They were going to be best friends and nothing could stop them if they were together.

Except, come the first week of collage, Rhett couldn't find Link.

He tried to call him at home, but the man that answered that Rhett was sure was Link’s dad from previous calls there, said that Link didn’t live there and hung up. Worried, Rhett tried to look Link up at the collage, but he wasn’t listed as attending. Had something happened to Link? Did he change his mind? He knew the other was an anxious guy and could flake out if things got too much for him, but he never just ditched Rhett before. 

Letters were his only way of reaching Link it seemed, but soon those were returned to sender. It was like Link had just vanished off the face of the earth. Rhett was heartbroken. His best friend was gone and as much as he wanted to search for him, there wasn’t a lot to go on. 

For five years he kept an eye out, trying to see if he could put it together, but it wasn’t until a website called Facebook came around that he really was able to get started searching again. He had girlfriends here and there, most would ask about the picture of the boy from summer camp Rhett kept on his desk at home to which he would get a look in his eye that said there was more than just the ‘He's my best friend.’ answer they received. They all accepted it, but things never really quite worked out. Either it was because he couldn’t fully commit to them or some other excuse he'd come up with. 

It wasn’t until a particularly open minded girlfriend asked why he was looking so hard for him when it had been almost 7 years since the last time he saw Link. Rhett didn’t have an answer for her. Maybe he had a first love he didn’t realize till it was gone and he wasn’t over him. It brought into question his sexuality, his entire world seemingly crashing around him as he stopped to think about it. Was he gay? No, he liked girls. He liked girls a lot. But Link. . . Link didn’t feel like one of the guys. He didn’t fit into anything really other than best friend. 

They hadn’t been romantic, at least to him, but then as he found himself slightly tipsy from a few shots of rum on the floor of his apartment with the open minded girlfriend named April, he poured out all his memories. How he always felt safe with Link, that they’d share small smiles that would lead to fits of giggles and bigger grins, how Rhett would always know where Link hid when the teasing got too bad, the long hours he’d spend holding his friend who cried when he got hurt. He knew Link had been softer than him, more emotional, but he never held it against him and in fact loved that about him. 

‘Sounds to me like you might love your best friend,’ April had said. But Rhett wasn’t gay. He didn’t look at guys and find them attractive or get off on them. It wasn’t like that with Link either, at least he thought so. The longer he sat on the floor and stared at that last picture of them together before college, he couldn’t help but feel the flutter in his chest that he got when he thought about Link. Maybe he did love his best friend because no matter who he’d been with, they hadn’t made him feel like that. 

‘I wouldn’t worry too much on your sexuality, babe. Seems like the only guy you like is Link and he’s out there somewhere probably not knowing the wiser,’ April had said. Despite the realization, he stayed with her a few more months before they settled on being just friends. April was actually the one that helped him figure out Facebook. Every few days he’d search for Lincoln La Mont or Link La Mont, but would come up with nothing. No one by that name was on the website. Then April suggested looking with Link’s middle name. 

People wouldn’t put their last names sometimes so it was worth a shot. Putting in Link Neal, he waited as the page loaded and was actually surprised at the lack of results. There were four of them. Two girls and two guys, but the guys weren’t Link. He almost clicked back when one of the girls caught his eyes. She had sharp blue eyes and long dark hair with the same angular face as Link. That familiar flutter in his chest made him nearly burst into tears. That was Link or rather Linka. 

Rhett had to take a moment when he began to look through her profile. She was still his best friend. All her likes and dislikes, the way she wrote. It was still Link, but. . . Not. She was what Rhett had really fallen in love with. That soft smile with mischievous eyes that Rhett always found contagious. The silly faces in photos she had taken with friends. Everything was the same, she was just who she truly was. The person who Rhett saw all along without realizing it. 

It took a few days of just staring at her page, seeing they were in the same town, before he finally sent a friend request. After all, she could have found him so easily. Did she not want to be his friend anymore? Did she not feel the same way? Did she think he’d be just another bully? Linka had disappeared from his life almost a decade ago, but he never stopped looking for her. Had she not looked for him? Did she not feel the same way? They shared such a strong bond at camp and then she was gone. 

Another few days went by without hearing the telltale notification that his request had been accepted. Rhett checked every day, making sure it was still there and not denied. He started to think she didn’t get on the site anymore when a small message window popped up in the lower right hand part of his screen. It was her. 

Linka: Hey you.

Rhett was at a loss of words. She didn’t accept his request, but she was talking to him. 

Rhett: Hey yourself. I miss you.

There was no way he was going to get through this without crying at his desk. Thank god they’d done this over the computer and not in person. 

Linka: You have? Really?

Rhett: Yeah. Really. You’re my best friend, always have been. I’ve been looking for you for a really long time. Since college started. 

Linka: What? Why?

Rhett: Because you disappeared.

Linka: But why did you look for me? You could have forgotten about me and moved on. 

Rhett: I didn’t though. I get why you did it. Seeing your profile, but can we meet up? Can we talk? Please?

Linka: I don’t know if that’s a good idea. 

Rhett: Please. Just this once and if you don’t want to see or hear from me ever again, I’ll leave you alone if you want me to. I promise. 

He was left on read for the rest of the night. Everything in him wanted to demand they see each other, that they talk this out, but he knew he couldn’t do that. They had to go at her pace. Every night he’d check to see if she responded, but she never did. A week went by and then another. Rhett was sure that he’d never see her again. The end of the second week came around and she finally responded. 

Linka: How about tomorrow? Noon? 

Rhett: Yes. Where?

Linka: The park on Main and Fifth. There’s a small cemetary across from it. I’ll be at gazebo by the entrance.

Rhett: I’ll see you then. 

Now that they had made a date of it, what was Rhett going to wear? What did he say? He wasn’t mad at Linka, he never was. All he felt was concern and worry for his friend when she went missing. The entire night, he wrestled with his concerns and fears. There wasn’t much sleep to be had, so he tried to get as prepared as possible. He wrote down his feelings, he listed them out to be as plain as possible. On the way there, he wanted her to see him and just feel welcome. That she didn’t need to hide from him. A small part of him said she was just going to let him down easy, but in the long run no matter what happened he would feel better knowing she was okay. 

Even if it meant he wasn’t in her life. 

Opting to stop for a bouquet of lilies, he made sure they looked perfect before going to the park. He was a bit early, but he was so nervous. Rhett wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry or run away, but he’d waited so long for that moment there was no way he would back out. Fixing the collar of the shirt he chose to wear, a black v-neck under a brown leather jacket, paired with a set of dark jeans and shiny boots, he was dressed up as best he could be. Rhett wanted to impress her and make her feel like he cared and was making an effort. Going to the gazebo, he stood there with the flowers and waited. 

And waited.

He checked his phone and saw it was almost 12:15pm, but she hadn’t shown up. Tempted to message her, he put his phone away as he sat on the bench while looking around. Maybe she changed her mind. Maybe she didn’t remember him like he remembered her. Maybe he was just a blast from the past and unlike him she didn’t give him a second thought after camp. 

Rhett felt like a fool as he sat there another 10 minutes, then another. Linka wasn’t coming. Standing up, he almost threw the flowers, upset that he let himself get so invested in her and his own dream world that he concocted because she didn’t care about him like he cared about her. It was his own fault. He read into things, thought things were one way but were really another. He cared for her, deeply, and she didn’t feel the same. Accepting that he’d lost his best friend, he decided that being across from a cemetery was ironic because he would be able to grieve and have closure finally. 

Setting the flowers down gently on the bench he’d waited at, Rhett stared at them before stepping out of the gazebo. 

“Rhett?”

He froze. That voice was so familiar, not as low as he remembered, but he knew it. Turning, he saw Linka standing there in a black dress with a high beaded collar and purple trim. She was tall, especially with her heels on. Her hair had a small wave to it as bangs covered her forehead. A small bit of mascara and eyeliner drew attention to her bright eyes and the red lipstick kept him focused on her lips longer than it should have. Her pink nails were picked at and chipped, but were still bright and colorful even as she wrung her hands a bit. 

“You’re late,” Rhett said, a smile tugging at his lips. “Usually it’s me that’s runnin’ behind.”

“Sorry,” Linka said quickly, blushing as she looked at the ground. “I-I-I was nervous.”

“I get that,” Rhett said with a nod. 

“Not a lot of people from when I was younger still are around,” Linka said, looking up. “I was scared you’d see who I am and leave too.”

“I’m sorry you felt that way,” Rhett said. “I. . . I don’t want to leave you. Ever. I’ve been looking for you since I was 18 and I never stopped. I. . .” He swallowed a lump in his throat as he tried to think of the words to say. Should he explain his whole journey, should he ask about hers? It felt so much all at once and he couldn’t think of anything to say other than- “I love you, Linka. I am in love with you. I have been for a very long time, I just didn’t realize it.”

She stood there staring at him, eyes wide as he confessed his feelings. Linka didn’t respond at first and Rhett thought maybe he’d over done it. That he didn’t read the situation right and that this was too much for her. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t see her move at first, but then she was in front of him. Her long fingers cupped his bearded cheeks as he leaned down, knowing this cue for sure. 

"I love you, too," she said softly.

Their lips met, crashing into each other as his arms wrapped around her tightly. Slowly, the kiss deepened as they stood there, together for the first time in nearly a decade. It was scary, but that was because it was new, but it felt familiar as well. All those times Rhett held Link at camp, comforted him, cheered him on, just wanting to be next to him, all those moments were leading up to that moment. 

“Please don’t leave me again,” Rhett said softly after they pulled away, their foreheads pressed together. 

“I won’t, not again. Not ever,” Linka said with a soft giggle and sniffle, her blue eyes watery with tears.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow up:
> 
> \- Rhett and Linka live together with two dogs and flip houses.  
> \- Rhett is an architect and Linka an interior designer.  
> \- Rhett has gotten into fights protecting his lady's honor.  
> \- Linka is a trans advocate and helps out at the local library on the weekends with out reach programs.  
> \- Linka also is in love with Rhett's beard and mane that he's grown out. She loves the curls and playing with them.


End file.
